Door curtain for vehicles



I. L. COWLES.

Doos CURTAIN FOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. I2l 1918.

M. v ventanaa I TA L. cowLEs.'

DOOR CURTAIN FOR VEHICLES.

APPL'ICATION FILED MAH. 12| 191B.

patenamm 6,1922,

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

\ alsA T, L. COWLES.

,DOOR CURTAIN FOR VEHICLES. APPLlcAioN mmm/1.12, 1918.

Paented June 6, 19522.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Inveniovw Thom@ L. Cowles,

eater carica.

THOMAS L. COWLES, OF BRIDGEPORT, CCNNECTICT, SSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS,` T0 THE LDCMOBILE COMPANl PORATION 0F DELAWARE Y, 0F IBRIDGEPORT,CONNECTICUT, COR- DOR CURTAIN FOR` VEHICLES.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented June 6, 1922.

Application filed March 12, 1918. Serial No. 221,909`

To all wwmt't may concern Be it known that I, THOMAS L. CowLns,

a citizen of the United States, and a resi` dent of Bridgeport, countyof Faireld, and

State of Connecticut, have invented an Improvement in Door Curtains forVehicles, of which the following description, vin con nection with theaccompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawins representing like parts.

his invention relates to door curtains for vehicles, and `is moreespecially concerned witlia door curtain of the class in which theAcurtain constitutes an upward prolongation of the door', and isarranged to open and close therewith.

My invention will be best understood by reference to the followingdescription, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings ofone specific embodiment 'thereof, while its scope will be moreparticularly point-edout in the appended claims.

In the drawings;

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of aportion of a vehicle body, having afolding cape top, and equipped with a door curtain embodying myinvention;

Fig. 2 is a plan section taken on line 2*2 of Fig. 1; and shown at anenlarged scale;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation, partly in vertical section, of the doorcurtain supporting `and re-inforc-ing means ;F

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the curtain reinforcing means; and' Fig.5 is an elevation, scale, of the curtain view from the inner face,

Referringto the drawings, and to the embodiment of my invention which isiliustrat-ed therein, I have there shown a vehicle body 6, having awindshield 7, which supports a usual folding top 8. The body is providedwith a usual door 9, which may be, and is herein, hinged at its rearedge.

A door curtain 10 closes a portion of the space between the upper edgeof the body 6 and the lower edge of the top 8. This curtain may be, andis herein, prolonged rearwardly beyond 'the door 9,' and may be securedto the body and to the top by appropriate means', such for example as afastener 11, carried by the door, two fasteners 12 and 13 on the side ofthe body at the rear of the door, and two fasteners 14 and on a muchenlarged' 15 on the top 8. These fasteners may be of any suitablecharacter, but, as herein shown, rare of the well-known turn-buttontype. v

That portion of the curtain 10 which is above the door 9 constitutes anupward prolongation of the latter, and swings therewith during theopening and closin of the door. To this end, there is providedreinforcing and supporting4 means, including a generally horizontalreinforcing and supportin member 16, and a generally vertical reinorcing and supporting member 17. The member 16 is herein provided withtwo arms 18 and 19, one of which extends lengthwise of the upper edge'of the door, and the other transversely thereof, said armsv beingconnected by a curved portion 20. The upper edge of the curtain isinforcing-mernber receiving-pocket 2l, best shown inF ig. 5, c9`mprisinga strip ofvsuitable flexible material such as leather or fabric, sewnonto the curtain. Preferably,

the rear end o45 the pocket is closedyas at 22,

It should here be noted that the member '16 vis suitably shaped as tothe length of its` arms 18 and 19 and the curve of the, connectingportion 20, to correspond with the adjacent edge of the top 8, whichoverhangs the door 9 to a considerable extent at this point. If desired,the top may be provided with a depending flap 25, arranged ,tov overliea portion of the upper edge ofthe, curtain as shown in Figzl, toprevent=`;the entrance of rain, snow or wind, at this point.

The member 17 is herein very irregular in shape, as best shown in F igs.3 and 4, and comprises short and long generally upright portions 26 and27, erally horizontal portion 28. The short upright portion 26 isysupportedv in a suitable socket 29 in the upper edge of the door 9, andmay be held against turning movement in said socket in any suitablemanner, as by providing said upright portion with aiiat connected by-agenl f face 80, engaging a correspondingly-shaped 4 end best .shown inFig. 2.

provided with a reduced end 31, having a shoulder 32, while the arm 19of the membe 16 is provided with'a correspondingly-I shaped opening Thecurrent is preferably provided with av pocket 34C, adjacent its irontedge, to receive" the longer upright portion 27 of the member 17, saidpocket-being preferably closed at its upper end as at 35, and having atits lower an entrance 36 -into which said member may be-introduced. Itshould here be noted,

by reference to ig. 5, that the'upper edge ofthe curtainis longer thanits lower ed e,

` right portion 27 oi this being because the top 8 overhangs e door 9tosuchen Aextent that the curtain must bend in an outward direction fromthe bottom w the to lines in Fig. 4. f desired, the longer upthe member17 may be curved outward andofdset as at 37 to `clear the. side of thewindshield 7, which usually has an outward curve and oii'set from itspoint of attachment to the cowl ot the body 6.

It should n'ow'be evident that the described reinforcing and supportingmembers give to the curtain the necessary form and rigidity to make itlit the top and windshield of the vehicle, and to exclude the elements.When I it is desired to remove the curtain and store a the same away ineasily be done by untastening the curtam at its various points ofattachment to the body and top, and by lifting the member 17 from itssocket inthe door, after which the members may be withdrawn from theirpockets by first removing the member 17, and then removing the member16. The two members may., then be laid together in a very small space,and the curtain rolled into small comin the vehicle.

'y While I have herein shown and described one specific form orembodiment of my inl i, pass, thus'requiring very little storage spacevention for illustrative purposes, and have vHaving thu '."Qdisclosedand discussed in detail the construction and arrangement incidental'toone *specific application'thereof,it is to be uni ,derstfood that theinvention ,is (limited neither to the'mere'; details or'relativeari'angementof'fparts, norvto its specific eml *deviations from theillustrated form or embodiment herein shown, but that extensivebodiiiientv of the invention may be'l made, ,without departing from theprinciples described my mvention, what erally vertical, reinforcin asindicated in dottedI a small space, this can.

raises? l claim and desire by Letters Patent to secure is z.

1. In a vehicle', the combination of a door,

ing member having its upper end detachably secured to the transverse armof said horizontal member.

2. In a vehicle, the combination of a door, a door-curtain constitutingan upward prolongation 'of said door, said curtain being' rovided with agenerally horizontal, reinlorcing-member receiving-pocket and a gen--member receiv- `ing-pocket the adjacent en s of said' pocketscommunicating with :each other, and, one having an entrance, and one ofsaid poc'kets having another entrance, and curtain-reinforcing meansincluding a generally horizontal, hbriaontally odset reinforcing memberand a generally vertical reinforcing member having cooperating meansdetachably securin said members together, said members beinginsertableinto and withdrawable from said respective entrances.

3. ln a vehicle, the combination of a door, a door curtain constitutingan upward prolongation of said door, said curtain being provided with agenerally horizontal, rein- Jrorcing-member receiving-pocket and agenerally vertical, reiniorcmw-member receiving-pocket the adjacent endsof said pockets reinforcing means includu'igv a generally horizontal,horizontally curved reinforcingmember and a generally verticalreinforcing member one having an opening and the other having meanslocated in said opening-de. tachably to secure said members together,said members bein drawable from said respective entrances.

4. In a vehicle, the combination o il. windshield, a roof having a sidelaterally Jevond said Windshield,a body Vhaving a do'or, a door-curtainresenting an upward prolongation of sai said side and bending inwardtoward sai windshield, and door-curtain reinforcing means carried bysaid door, said means including a gene-rally horizontal member,followingsaid side and extending inward toward said windshield, an agenerally vertical member, said members being detachable f/rom eachother and fromA said curtain.

5. in a vehicle, the combination of a windshield, a roof having a sidelaterally beyond said windshield, a body having a door, a

insertable into and with-- door, said curtain following nation of saiddoor, 'said curtain extending orward from said door toward saidwindshield following said side and bending nward toward said windshield,and door-Cur- 'tain reinforcing means carried by said door, said meansincluding a generally horizontal member following said side andextending inward toward 'said windshield, and a generally verticalmember having an offset forward of said door, said members beingdetahable from each other and from said v curtain,

gation of said door, saideurtain followin said side and bending inwardtoward sai windshield, and door-curtain reinforcing means carried bysaid door, said means including a generally horizontal member followingsaid side and extending inward toward said windshield, and a generallyvertical member extending forward from said door toward said windshieldand sidewise to meet said horizontal member, said members` beingdetachable fromeaoh other and from said curtain. o v

AIn testimony whereof,- I have signed my name to this specification.

THGMASL. CO'WLESa

